‘Don’t Breathe’ scares off box office competition

This undated file image released by Sony Pictures shows Jane Levy, left, and Dylan Minnette in a scene from ‘Don’t Breathe.’ According to studio estimates Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, audiences turned out in droves for the late summer thriller, which brought in $26.1 million. AP

LOS ANGELES, United States — Suspense thriller “Don’t Breathe” stole the North American box office thunder in its opening weekend, knocking off “Suicide Squad” from three weeks at the top, industry estimates showed Sunday.

“Don’t Breathe” — a horror twist on home invasion — features a trio of thieves breaking into the house of a supposedly helpless wealthy blind man. The top moneymaker over the weekend made $26.4 million.

“Suicide Squad” slipped to number two at $12.2 million. The film, starring Will Smith, Jared Leto and Margot Robbie as criminals hired to carry out secret missions, has raked in $283 million in four weeks, despite poor reviews.

“Kubo and the Two Strings” traded places with “Sausage Party” for third place, with $7.8 million in its second week.

The 3-D stop motion adventure fantasy is about a one-eyed boy on a quest in ancient Japan who must battle the gods with a magical instrument.

The raunchy animated comedy “Sausage Party,” with Seth Rogan as the leading voice, made $7.53 million.

Moviegoers spent $7.46 million on action sequel “Mechanic: Resurrection,” putting it in fifth place on its opening weekend.

The film sees Jason Statham reprising his hitman role from the 2011 film “The Mechanic,” loosely based on the 1972 film of the same name, starring Charles Bronson.

Rounding out the top ten films of the weekend are:

— “Pete’s Dragon” ($7.4 million)

— “War Dogs” ($7 million)

— “Bad Moms” ($5.6 million)

— “Jason Bourne” ($5.1 million)

— “Ben-Hur” ($4.6 million)